Brookings Institution: 'An Enduring Social Safety Net'

Source:Brookings Institution- talking about the U.S. Federal budget.

"Panel 1: President of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association Edward Thomas; Professor of Health Care Policy in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School Michael Chernew; Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jonathan Gruber; Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Jeffrey Liebman; and Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Paul Van de Water participate in a roundtable discussion on the nation's social safety net moderated by S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management at the University of California--Berkeley Haas School of Business Laura D'Andrea Tyson." 

From the Brookings Institution

Helmer Reenberg: President John F. Kennedy's- '51st Press Conference: March 6, 1963'

Source:Helmer Reenberg- President John F. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) giving his 51st press conference in 1963, at The White House in Washington.

"THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Important steps are being taken in the Congress this week with respect to three major parts of the Administration's program and I want to take this opportunity to stress their importance to every American family.

From Helmer Reenberg 

President John F. Kennedy at The White House in 1963 promoting his economic agenda that included tax cuts, plus tax reform, as well as a job placement program for America’s youth. And he said that he expected Congress (a Democratic Congress) to act and pass his agenda.

Source:Helmer Reenberg- President John F. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) giving his 51st press conference in 1963, at The White House in Washington.

John F. Kennedy, when he became President of The United States in 1961 wanted to do a few things as it relates to economic policy. Go further in social insurance so more people could have access to affordable health care, especially senior citizens. In the areas of health insurance, but also more hospitals and health care professionals. But also in tax reform, lowering marginal tax rates where back in the early 1960s income tax rates ranged from 25-90%. Which was a drag on our economic growth, because Americans weren't seeing much benefit from their success and production.

So President Kennedy, wanted to lower taxes rates, because the Federal Government got a big chunk of what Americans were making. Which is why President Kennedy wanted to cut tax rates across the board. See more money in the economy, more take home pay for Americans to spend that money to see more economic growth. And these tax cuts served as an inspiration for the tax cutters on the Right in the late 1970s and early 1980s. That led to tax cuts at the state levels in the late 1970s and of course President Reagan's Economic Recovery Act of 1981.

But a Kennedy tax cut and a Barack Obama tax cut, are very different from a Reagan tax cut, or a George W. Bush tax cut. President Kennedy, didn't have this idea that tax cuts automatically paid for them self. And unlike supply siders he believed that deficits mattered. And that if you cut taxes, you should do that by paying for them. And he did that by cutting wasteful loopholes in the Federal tax code. Jack Kennedy, wasn't a Conservative as some on the Right like to suggest. And he wasn't a big welfare state Social Democrat that today's so-called Progressives like to believe he was. He was a  Liberal in the true sense. Not anti-government, but believed a limited government could help people who needed it help them self. 

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The Economist: 'The Next Supermodel'

Source:The Economist- The Nordic Viking? 

"SMALLISH countries are often in the vanguard when it comes to reforming government. In the 1980s Britain was out in the lead, thanks to Thatcherism and privatisation. Tiny Singapore has long been a role model for many reformers. Now the Nordic countries are likely to assume a similar role.

That is partly because the four main Nordics—Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland—are doing rather well. If you had to be reborn anywhere in the world as a person with average talents and income, you would want to be a Viking. The Nordics cluster at the top of league tables of everything from economic competitiveness to social health to happiness. They have avoided both southern Europe’s economic sclerosis and America’s extreme inequality. Development theorists have taken to calling successful modernisation “getting to Denmark”. Meanwhile a region that was once synonymous with do-it-yourself furniture and Abba has even become a cultural haven, home to “The Killing”, Noma and “Angry Birds...

Source:The Economist

Michelle Alexander: The New Jim Crow: Interview With Michelle Alexander

Source:Houston's Launch talking to author Michelle Alexander about her book The New Jim Crow.

"An interview by Anthony Perry (Youth Rights Activist) with Michelle Alexander (Author of The New Jim Crow) discussing the school to prison pipleline and how mass incarcaration has set many young people of color up for failure." 

From Houston's Launch

The Economist: 'Europe: Italy's Close Election Race: Silvio Berlusconi's Incredible Comeback'

Italy sounds similar to a lot of the other socialist republics in Europe that rely too much on the state to take care of its people and run their lives for them especially as it relates to the economy, where Italy really needs is not to necessarily adopt the American model. But they do need some type of liberal economic model and liberalize their economy where the people have the economic freedom to chart their own course in life and make out of it what they put into it, with a strong foundation that drives economic and job growth. 

The O'Reilly Factor: 'Bill O'Reilly Interviews Fran Tarkenton'

Source:USA History Writer- Fran Tarkenton taking on the Dallas Cowboys.

Source:The Daily Press 

"A pretty heavy price to pay for all that fame and fortune, mighty alluring for sure but not really sure its worth it. look at Bernie Kosar, the guy can hardly talk due to all the head injuries he had." 

From USA History Writer

Minnesota Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton, obviously, but I don’t know which game this is or who he’s playing against. It could be Super 11 against the Oakland Raiders, but that’s a guess. I think Fran is certainly one of the best big game QB’s ever (not including the Super Bowl) and all the wins and playoff wins back that up, as well as how he played in all of those big regular season and playoff games.

Source:The Daily Press- Minnesota Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton, probably playing in the 1970s, but I don't know much about this photo.

I guess I have mixed feelings about Fran Tarkenton who is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. And probably would be in my top ten, but I like a lot of other people who follow the National Football League I judge QB’s by not only how they play in big games, big regular season games that determine division championships, playoff positioning as well as playoff games, but I also judge QB’s by how they played in the biggest game. Which of course is the Super Bowl and yes you can argue that those Minnesota Vikings teams were the second best team in each Super Bowl that Tarkenton was involved in.

And I’m not looking down on Fran because the Vikings lost all of those games. But I’m looking down on him for the fact that he didn’t do everything that he could to lead the Vikings in winning those games. He had three shots at the Super Bowl and didn’t play very well in any of them, couldn’t even get the Vikings to the end zone in Super Bowl 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A game where the Vikings defense played very well and kept them in the game the whole way, but where their offense did almost nothing.

So that’s where Fran Tarkenton comes up short with me (no pun intended) but as far as how QB’s have done before the Super Bowl, Fran is one of the best of all-time in games before the Super Bowl, not many better. John Unitas, Joe Montana, John Elway, maybe Roger Staubach. Not necessarily in that order, but Unitas is number one with me at least overall. And if you look at QB’s and what they are able to do with the tools that they work with and the talent they have around them, Fran is one of the best ever.

Fran is one of the best of all time, leading a mediocre New York Giants team in the late 1960s to a winning record. Didn’t have a running game or a very good offensive line. (To use as an example) Defense came up short as well, but he was a great QB who always knew who to throw the ball too and how to get the ball to the available talent that he had. Like WR Homer Jones and TE Bob Tucker who were good players, but this wasn’t the West Coast San Francisco 49ers or any team like that. But Fran got the most out of what he had to work with.

In defense of Fran Tarkenton: this idea that he had a weak arm, if you look at his highlight films, you see him completing a lot of long passes and he did have good WR’s. Like Sammy White, John Gilliam, Ahmad Rashad, Chuck Foreman was the Roger Craig of his era and like another WR. And you also see Fran drilling some passes into tight coverage. He didn’t have a cannon, but a strong enough arm to make the right throws. And the Vikings of that era were a possession passing team anyway. So he was a great QB, but I don’t have him up higher because he came up short on the biggest stage three times and never came up big.

PotTV Network: 'Mandatory Minimums & Your Medical Cannabis Business'

Source:POT TV Kirk Tousaw speaking.

"A seminar by Kirk Tousaw, prominent cannabis lawyer and activist explains how the changes made to the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations affect patients and providers from a criminal law perspective.

This is a must see to understand how these changes can affect you." 

From POT TV